The eastern farmlands stretched before Ren, bathed in the dim light of dusk. The horizon was tinged in deep oranges and purples, the last remnants of daylight bleeding away as night crept in. He adjusted his coat and knelt on a nearby hill, surveying the land below.

  A herder’s shack stood near a fenced pasture, the ground littered with tufts of wool and bloodied dirt. Beyond it, the field extended into a sparse woodland—prime hunting grounds for the Hozuki Wolves.

  Ren took in every detail, running through the mental checklist he had developed from years of survival.

  Step one: Information.

  The Hozuki Wolves were classified as an Adept-level threat for a reason. Unlike normal wolves, these creatures weren’t bound by the physical plane. Their bodies could partially phase into shadows, making them hard to hit and even harder to track. They were notorious for ambush tactics, using their ghostly forms to launch surprise attacks before disappearing into darkness.

  But they weren’t invincible.

  Ren exhaled slowly. He wasn’t a brute-force fighter, nor did he rely on raw power. His strength came from strategy—from understanding the battlefield and manipulating it in his favor.

  Step two: Set the trap.

  His fingers curled, calling forth the power of his Abyssal Veil. A wave of dark energy pulsed outward, thickening the shadows around him. The air shifted, the boundary between light and darkness becoming blurred. His surroundings became muted, distorted, unnatural.

  To an outside observer, the landscape would look… wrong. Shapes stretched longer than they should. Shadows bent and twisted, pooling unnaturally like liquid ink.

  This was the Abyssal Veil—a domain where shadows bent to Ren’s will, where depth and space became his playground.

  He moved toward the herder’s shack, stepping carefully over dried blood and clawed-up earth. The scent of decay and musk hung in the air. His boots barely made a sound as he reached the wooden structure, slipping inside through the broken door.

  Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  Step three: Bait them out.

  Ren pulled out a small vial from his coat, filled with congealed yokai blood. He had bought it from an underground vendor—an alchemist who specialized in monster lures.

  Popping the cork, he let a few drops drip onto the wooden floor. The scent was immediate—thick, cloying, unnatural.

  Then he waited.

  Seconds passed. Then minutes.

  Then—movement.

  A soft, unnatural ripple in the shadows near the pasture. Not the wind. Something else.

  Ren’s lips curled. There you are.

  The first wolf emerged from the darkness, its form shifting between tangible and spectral. Its fur was smoky-black, its eyes pale and lifeless. The beast prowled closer, sniffing at the air, drawn in by the scent of blood.

  It wasn’t alone.

  Two more wolves materialized beside it, their bodies flickering between states. Their forms bent and swayed as though resisting the very fabric of reality.

  Ren remained still, lowering his stance. The Abyssal Veil still coated the land—meaning these wolves were now playing by his rules.

  They crept closer, muscles tensing, their heads low.

  Step four: Engage.

  The moment the first wolf lunged, Ren moved.

  His foot twisted, his hands shot forward and from the darkness beneath him, a chain of solid shadows erupted.

  Tangible Shadows.

  The black tendrils coiled around the wolf’s neck before it could phase away, wrenching it from midair and slamming it into the ground.

  The other two reacted immediately. They disappeared into the darkness—but Ren had already anticipated it.

  Shadow Bonding.

  His senses expanded, stretching into the Abyssal Veil. The shadows whispered, telling him exactly where the wolves had moved.

  Behind me eft, right.

  Ren ducked as one reappeared, its jaws snapping where his throat had been. His foot slid across the dirt, twisting his body into a perfect counter as he swung his shadow-bound chain. The tendrils extended—grabbing the wolf’s leg and yanking it mid-leap.

  The last wolf darted in, attempting to take advantage of the opening—but Ren used Shadow Bonding again, feeling the disturbance in his domain.

  He twisted, pivoting his body just enough to avoid the fatal pounce, then redirected his chain. The living shadow lashed outward, wrapping around the beast’s torso and dragging it into the earth.

  A feral snarl escaped the restrained wolves. They thrashed and flickered, trying to phase out of the bindings—but the Tangible Shadows held firm.

  Ren exhaled, steadying his heartbeat.

  Step five: Finish it.

  The leader of the pack was still out there—watching. Waiting. The underlings were merely the test pieces.

  He had a feeling the true battle was only beginning.